Editorials
[TV Terrors] “The Elvira Show” Was Cancelled By CBS Before It Even Aired
Horror and science fiction have always been a part of the television canvas, and constant attempts have been made over the years to produce classic entertainment. Some have fallen by the wayside, while others became mainstream phenomena. With “TV Terrors,” we take a look back at the many genre efforts from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s, exploring some shows that became cult classics, and others that sank in to obscurity.
“The Elvira Show” was filmed in 1993 for CBS… but never aired
The past three years have seen a major resurgence of the Mistress of the Dark that we know as Elvira. Elvira has always had that wonderful ability to disappear for a few years, re-emerge in full force for a long time and creep back in to the shadows for a little bit. It’s pretty much why everyone loves her. Cassandra Peterson has turned the character into a bona fide franchise, especially in the digital age, selling branded merchandise, her own book, and even collectible dolls from Funko.
In the cable television days and video age, Elvira was an—ahem–asset you saw often, and one of my earliest memories of the horror host came through her introductions to movies on television and appearances on MTV. I could go on and on about how her 1988 movie “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark” is a childhood favorite of mine, but I digress.
That said, as many know, her 1988 movie was intended as a back door pilot for a potential sitcom on NBC, and I can think of no one better suited for their own sitcom than Elvira. Spending years in development, Elvira finally got her wish in 1993, when she filmed her very own pilot for the CBS Network. Her show entitled “The Elvira Show” (starring Elvira as herself!) offered a unique spin on the sitcom, with a horror based premise less about family values and more about Elvira’s razor sharp wit, rapid fire double entendres, and huge pair of—uh—eyes.
Officer: This is a bust!
Elvira (pointing at her cleavage): “No, this is a bust!”
Loosely set after the events of the movie, Elvira moves again, this time to Manhattan Kansas where she ends up in another conservative small town. There, she resides with her fun aunt Minerva (who also happens to be a quirky witch), and their smart mouthed cat named Renfield. Elvira hides in plain sight pretending to read fortunes and create potions for the superstitious folks in town, but things get complicated when long lost niece Paige is dropped off at the house and forced to live with her aunts.
After her parent died, she was sent to live with nuns on an island, and then—dropped off at the door for some reason. As a conservative religious girl, Paige finds herself struggling to keep up with their antics, especially as she begins to realize she might have powers of her very own. She has to come to her family’s aide when Elvira accidentally casts a spell on a hunky local police officer.
“The Elvira Show” was pretty much a series intended for the fans, and hoping to breed a new audience that could appreciate the “Three’s Company” shaded humor filled with innuendos, and winks at the audience here and there. Katherine Helmond (“Soap,” “Who’s the Boss?”) is kind of like an older Elvira, but one who isn’t as out there as her long lost niece. The pilot only seems to have a little bit of money to play with, so a majority of the episode’s events take place in the house and the house alone.
With so much set up and potential, you assume the show would have too many storylines for one episode, but there’s shockingly very little to be had. A majority of the comedy is reliant more on how many sex jokes Elvira can shoot out before the end of the episode. All the while Paige is basically the foil of her two aunts, working to keep the uptight town folks at bay. Beyond that there isn’t much of a storyline aside from someone trying to catch Elvira and or Minerva in the act, and looking for a reason to put them in jail. I would have loved to see a sleeker series with Elvira leading the life of a superstar and supernatural being, or maybe experiencing a double life as a super powered witch trying to fit into nineties city culture.
“The Elvira Show” inexplicably repeats the same beats from the 1988 movie, right down to Elvira moving in to an old house, and fending off cantankerous old neighbors. Apparently based on many reports, when “The Elvira Show” was filmed, CBS went crazy over the immense usage of boob and sex jokes and cancelled the series before it ever premiered. The pilot never even aired. Years later, oddly enough, the G rated “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” rose to mega popularity, sharing essentially the same plot and structure as the failed “The Elvira Show.” Granted, “Sabrina” was based on comic books that predate “The Elvira Show,” but it’s interesting to note nonetheless. It’s just a shame that Elvira’s show was never picked up, while “Sabrina” became a household favorite just a few years later.
Regardless, Elvira continued her long and admirable career as a horror hostess, comedienne, performer and entrepreneur, still going strong to this day. If you have twenty five minutes to spare, give “The Elvira Show” a shot. I can’t guarantee a laugh riot, but you can never go wrong with Elvira.
Is It On DVD/Blu-Ray? Absolutely not, but the pilot has circulated online for many years in its complete form (below). Hopefully someday it can be restored and included in an “Elvira” box set. Sure would be nice if Arrow included it in their upcoming special edition of “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.”
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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